Ready to take on the NBA

Some former NBA stars are coming to South Korea. In another decade or two their skills should have deteriorated to the point that I could actually compete with them. They'll be playing on my birthday, Sept 5, so that will give me an excuse not to get out and play with them. I don't care how good Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was back in the day, he is now 62 years old. I think I'm ready to take him on now.

There is one way I could get on the court against any NBA player, whether current or retired. I would just need to be able to change one or two rules.

Rule number 1: I could never be called for a foul.

Rule number 2: The opposing players all must wear high heels.

If the game is still competitive then I would require the opposing players to wear boxing gloves.

In other words, this shit ain't perfect

The Korea Times has a hit piece on TBS eFM, the all-English radio station based in Seoul. To prove their case they talk with two people--a native Korean and a Canadian. Based on such a sample I could prove that no one ever listens to Rush Limbaugh.

* The easiest story for a reporter to write is that something is "overrated" or has fallen short of expectations.

* Has the Korea Times reached expectations?

* I did notice that the Korean national interviewed in the story said he keeps up with the news by reading several publications, including the Korea Times (but not the Korea Herald).

* The reporter commits a cardinal sin of reporting: relying on just one or two sources for extended commentary.

Slow Lane to Free Trade

I mentioned that I had lunch with my buddy Kim Chung-ho a few weeks ago. Today he has an opinion piece in today's Korea Times. In case you can't read the piece, rest assured that he is very much in favor of more free trade.

SHUT UP AND ACT!!!

I really don't know why people pay attention to what celebrities, actors, and athletes have to say. One thing I hate is when I go to a concert and a musician decides to start talking about politics. If they put their thoughts to some good sounding music, fine. But I don't care what you think.

The latest Please Shut Up and sing/act/play request comes via a Korean actress named Kim Min-seon. She just got sued for her comments last year about U.S. beef.

As the Korea Herald reminds us:

In last May Kim, amid nationwide protests over the government's decision to
import U.S. beef, wrote on her mini-homepage that she would "rather eat
potassium cyanide" than see the imports of U.S. beef with bones tainted with mad
cow disease in Korea.

* I do wonder about the intelligence of people who would have stopped buying U.S. meat because of what an actress said.

* I do hope the company successfully sues the skirt off her...

* I suppose she convinced Koreans to buy Australian beef?

* This is nothing against the Korean actress. My favorite singer is Prince. I really don't care what he thinks about politics or American beef.

2014-02-14 Yeon-Mi Park`s debut

Yeonmi Park, February 14, 2014, making her debut! Yesterday I was one of the speakers at a special session on North Korean refugees at the Canadian Maple International School. Wow, it was a wonderful time! * Yeon-Mi Park delivered her first major speech in English. She was wonderful! She told her story (35 minute speech without notes), discussed different aspects of North Korea, and then handled questions from students for more than an hour. She did seem to be nervous at the beginning-she took a deep breath just as she started, looked at me, then told her story from her heart. * Returning from the speech, I told Yeonmi that she had star potential. She told me that she didn't believe it, but I told her that the way she handled Q&A and told her story, I would be lucky to have her still returning my phone calls within a year. * The students had many questions. They have been learning about North Korea. They are now reading "Escape from Camp 14" featuring Shin Dong-h

Helping North Koreans 'strike the blow' (Korea Times)

H ave you ever engaged in action not because you were sure it would change the world, but to satisfy your own heart? That, I emailed to an American friend, is why I have joined the effort to help North Koreans who are trying to escape from their homeland. I can’t change the direction of policy in North Korea or China but I can row the boat I am sitting in rather than lamenting that I can’t steer the yachts somewhere else. So I have tried to do what I can: Attending protests in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul (and I plan to do so when I visit America in April); donating money to the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights ( www.nkhumanrights.or.kr ); educating myself, writing articles and emailing friends; and, as a member of the board of trustees, I recently submitted a resolution to the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (FDMHA) in Washington, D.C., to try to call attention to the plight of North Koreans. Our organization’s missi

Government causing problems: Caffe Bene

According to the Korea Herald : Caffe Bene, the nation’s largest coffee shop franchise, has started cutting jobs and executive salaries, blaming regulations against expansion of its bakery and restaurant chains. Then a funny thing happened on the way to a seemingly bland story: There was actual talk about the Korean government playing a role in damaging Caffe Bene's business. Not just a throwaway line or a final comment at the end of the article, but actually tying the business's problems to the Korean government's policy. Caffe Bene took over bakery chain Mainz Dom in December despite the National Commission for Corporate Partnership’s advice to reconsider the acquisition as the panel was discussing restricting bakery franchises. The state-funded commission last month designated bakeries and restaurants as “SME-only” businesses, barring franchises to keep from opening too many stores or within 500 meters from small bakeries. Large companies in the dinin

Politician commentators

It is often mockingly said that the people who know how to run the country are driving cabs and cutting hair. I have identified a new problem...the people who are running the country are pontificating like they are cab drivers and barbers. WTOP Radio hosts "Ask the Governor" every Tuesday. This past Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine was philosophizing about Michael Vick, the former NFL player now in the slamma for killing dogs. Kaine: "I don't think somebody convicted of charges like this should be back in the NFL." What, Vick should be driving a cab or cutting hair? * * * Perhaps Gov. Kaine would like to assign Michael Vick to a job. After all, if Vick should be barred from playing in the NFL, then would what Kaine have him do? Let's fill-in Kaine's statement with some other occupations: "I don't think somebody convicted of charges like this should... "work as a waiter." "be a construction worker." "work as a tax account

North Korean defector seeks justice (Korea Times)

It was international news when 12 North Korean waitresses and a male manager who worked at a restaurant operated by the North Korean regime in China arrived in South Korea in 2016. The waitresses have mostly maintained a low profile. There have been numerous accusations and assertions, with some saying the waitresses didn't want to escape, some accused the Park Geun-hye administration of playing politics by releasing details of the case, etc., etc., etc. My blog at the Korea Times today features an exclusive interview with one of the former North Korean waitresses who filed a criminal case against the former manager. You can read about it here on the Korea Times website. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2023/02/728_345165.html Keep in mind that there are many more facts to the case and that it is much deeper than this brief excerpt of her comments. She also shared legal documents that I shared with the Korea Times well in advance to give them time to review the case. *

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